Streeeetch Your Mind!
Please read the following questions carefully and choose the most appropriate answer. The answer key accompanied by detailed explanations of the correct answers will be provided in the upcoming issue.
Languages Quiz
1. Which scientist argues that language is not an adaptation?
a) Charles Darwin
b) Richard Dawkins
c) Leda Cosmides
d) Stephen Jay Gould
2. What is the hypothesized function of the grammar module?
a) To store lists of vocabulary words
b) To remember irregular words
c) To recognize and apply normal grammatical rules
d) To help people learn foreign languages easily
3. What is the hypothesized function of the mental dictionary?
a) To store vocabulary words and idioms
b) To tell us the parts of speech of words
c) To alert us when someone uses a word incorrectly
d) To record words in new languages
4. Why do most people have difficulty learning a foreign language after puberty?
a) The brain’s structure does not allow new input after puberty
b) No one tries to learn a new language after puberty
c) Puberty brings on hormonal changes that decrease the brain’s ability to store new information
d) The period of “linguistic plasticity” has passed, and the brain’s language module is less receptive to new information
5. What is Specific Language Impairment (SLI)?
a) A difficulty learning a certain language that does not affect the ability to learn other languages
b) A genetic impairment of language acquisition ability
c) A rare disease afflicting the bilingual causing difficulty remembering a specific language
d) A disease causing difficulty pronouncing the sounds of a certain language
6. In which example is language seen as an integral part of culture?
a) The practice of conducting Catholic services in Latin is ended
b) A committee agrees to publish its minutes in English and Spanish
c) A high school student takes a Portuguese course to satisfy a graduation requirement
d) Hebrew is taught in private Jewish schools
7. Which dialect has ignited controversy over its proper use in American schools?
a) Ebonics
b) Spanish
c) British English
d) Yiddish
8. What is a logographic writing system?
a) A system that uses symbols to represent words
b) A system that uses symbols to represent syllables
c) A system that uses symbols to represent sounds
d) A system that supplements text with pictures or graphics
9. Which type of writing system is generally most efficient and adaptable?
a) Logomorphic
b) Logographic
c) Syllabary
d) Alphabetic
10. Why is the alphabetic system vulnerable to regional variations in pronunciation?
a) Alphabetic systems do not have standardized ways of writing words
b) Alphabetic systems use the sound of a word to determine its spelling
c) Alphabetic systems are the least efficient writing system
d) People have difficulty learning alphabetic systems and therefore cannot spell
11. How might illogical or inconsistent spelling flourish?
a) By conferring status on those who remember the rules
b) By being enforced by dictionaries and language authorities
c) By conveying a formal tone or indicating the authority of the speaker
d) All of the above
12. Which two languages are most closely related?
a) English and German
b) Japanese and Portuguese
c) Chinese and Sanskrit
d) Russian and Spanish
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